“Success” can be defined as “achieving one’s dreams” or “reaching the top”. It is often a lifetime journey with various stages and goals to match them. In our hectic world, the notion of success is different for different persons. It can be academic, artistic or athletic achievement; affluence and power; spiritual fulfilment or just bringing happiness to others.

The pursuit of success, so often linked with happiness, is the most legitimate goal and, indeed, the one that gives meaning to life. However, there is no unique recipe for success. Each person is unique and should trace his/her own path. This is not always easy as we all part of a family or community that sometimes has its values that do not always match our own.

Some are born in a position, which confers affluence and power. Success might mean preserving the family assets and eventually enhance them. If this matches their own goals, they just have to follow the flow… from primary school through college to university. No problems but they have to foot the the bill.

Wealth brings with it responsibilities and obligations. One may have to renounce one’s own goals for the family’s or community’s. And success associated with money carries its toll of pressures, which may have a detrimental effect on health and family life.

Reaching and staying at the top means hard work, neglect and unhappiness of spouses and children. Children of workaholics and capitalists often reject what their parents stand for. It can also be the case of top politicians. Can we then call this success?

Moreover, success can mean very hard work. Whether academic, artistic or athletic, achievement implies long hours, sometimes years, of hard work, high competition, deprivation of the normal pleasures of life: becoming a famous scientist, a concert pianist or a sports champion goes with loads of frustrations, sacrifices but is it not compensated by the elation of becoming a Nobel Prize, a virtuoso or an Olympic gold medalist.

This is, of course, concerns the very “happy few”. What about normal people like you and me? What do we mean by being successful? For most, it means a job with enough money for life necessities, a house, and eventually other possessions. Is this enough?

Success means also a balanced way of life: physical well-being, good personal relationships within the family, at work and in society. Some may be less interested in money than in providing happiness to others. Some may be motivated by a career, politics or social work, which does not necessarily bring wealth, but which allows them to serve others.

Bill Gates, Yasser Arafat and Mother Teresa are all examples of success, each in their own way. However, the sure way of achieving success is to know what you want and where you want to go in life and keep going until you reach your goals, however modest or ambitious they may be…

Some dreams take a few years, others are the achievement of a lifetime but success is, finally, your own achievement, having made your dreams come true...